afternoonmaps

Snake Oil Salesman Battle Map - Launch

Added 2024-06-22 10:43:06 +0000 UTC

Hello Adventurers! I’ve finished the next map on our battle map list, the Snake Oil Salesman. I think it's safe to say a travelling salesman/merchant encounter is a mainstay in most adventures, so I wanted to create a simple travel map with this in mind. And so you have a countryside road, muddy and rutted from traffic. I imagine this encounter taking place on the common land just outside a village or town.

Next Maps

Our next map will be the Ice Breaker, which will be available around the end of the month, with the Bakery coming after that.

Ice Breaker - I had a suggestion for a ship frozen in ice, and it sounds like an awesome idea. Imagine a frozen ocean with a ship half crushed and locked in ice. Its hull is compromised, and its wood is frozen. What lies within? Frost-covered treasure or undead crew? It’s such an evocative image and something with a lot of real-world examples in history, which you know I’m totally into!
Bakery - It's a joke in my DnD group that modern DnD is half about baking and food. With that in mind, I feel you’d all love a Bakery setting where you can live out your fantasies of getting up at 3 a.m. to knead dough for hours before selling your products for a few copper pieces each. The dream! Seriously though, this should make a great setting for an urban encounter.

Thanks so much for your support. You make it possible for me to continue adding WAY more details than I probably should to each and every map. With that in mind, I’d like to try some weirder map locations in the next few releases, so if you have ideas that are a little wacky, please let me know. I’m all ears! Have a wonderful weekend, and happy adventuring!

Now, let's stop off at this travelling salesman's stall. Look at all those sparkly bottles of elixirs and potions! They sure do look legitimately magical. Hair restorative! De-aging cream! Stamina lengthener… why did he wink when he said that?

Downloads

The files, thumbnails, and tags can be accessed on the Map List Page. You must be logged in to Patreon and signed up to the correct tier to access them. Remember, you are only charged for map releases; you can download all the old maps at no extra cost!

Map Description

The rutted and muddy road indicates this is a well-traveled route. And yet, you have not seen another traveller for hours. The old stone waymarkers indicate the next settlement is just ahead. Slowly, wilderness and woodland change to fields surrounded by dry stone walls and fenced paddocks. Ahead is a large open common, a small pond filled with reeds and lilies sits at its edge, and a flock of sheep grazes on the open grassy area.

A small camp is set up at the edge of the common, just off the road. The camp consists of a single caravan and stall sheltered by a blue-striped canvas awning. A stage is set in front of the caravan. A few locals, farmers and labourers stand gawking at a colourfully dressed man on the stage. As you approach, he notices you, a wide grin splitting across his extremely trustworthy face.

Notes and Tips

30x30 Grid Map
A Snake Oil Salesman is someone who sells fraudulent remedies for almost anything. They prey on the gullible and uneducated, which may be a problem for your party.
They will often sell a single cure-all elixir that purports to cure almost everything. The original snake oil was a cure-all. For your dodgy merchant, pick a setting-appropriate elixir. It could be golden gryphon musk, the tears of a mermaid that he keeps in his caravan or any other strange material. The more fantastical, the better.
Think up a sales patter for your merchant, a pitch they use to convince marks their product works. Have him plant people in the crowd, which he uses to convince people their product works.
Local Justice: A crowd of angry locals are attacking a poor, ‘innocent’ merchant. The party arrives as the mob gets ready to drag the man from his stage. He calls out for the ‘fine adventurers’ to help. He will pay them handsomely if they run off the crowd. The crowd consists of a few farm workers with improvised weapons and what appear to be some thugs from a local bandit gang.
A Secret Formula: A merchant resting at the side of the road approaches the party and asks for their help. His rival has stolen his secret cure-all formula and asks them to get it back. The party finds his rival's camp near a local village. This merchant is skilled in potion creation, and if confronted, his henchmen drink elixirs that give them special powers.
Secret Merchant/Assasin: The party has been hearing of murders and assassinations along this trade route. The cause of the deaths is unknown. This common merchant is actually a famed assassin who creates poisons to kill their victims. There is a large reward for his capture.